Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]research packet 627-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (with builder discrepancy flagged)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-diomedes-lst1119-pkt-627-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Diomedes (ARB-11) - namesake, construction, ferry commission, conversion to battle damage repair ship, Far East repair service, inactivation, and sale (verbatim transcription; canonical NHHC page https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/d/diomedes.html returned 404 live on 2026-10-02; Wayback capture 2024-05-26 verified identical text) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Diomedes' - service narrative and spec block; NHHC canonical page via Wayback 2024-05-26 capture
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'Diomedes - A prince of Argos, one of the bravest heroes of the Trojan War.' LST-1119 was launched 11 January 1945 by Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., Seneca, Ill., sponsored by Mrs. M. D. Hembree; placed in partial commission from 23 January to 21 February 1945 for the passage to Baltimore, Md.; converted to a battle damage repair ship as Diomedes (ARB-11); commissioned 23 June 1945, Lieutenant Commander S. H. P. Read, Jr., USNR, in command. Diomedes arrived at Okinawa 25 September, and on 3 October got underway for Hong Kong to provide repair services; sailed from Hong Kong 8 December; called at Kiirun, Formosa, before arriving at Taku, China, 19 December to continue her repair work. Departing Taku 20 March 1946, Diomedes called at Pearl Harbor and arrived at Charleston, S.C., 28 May; arrived Jacksonville, Fla., 2 June; placed out of commission in reserve there 3 December 1946. 'Diomedes was sold on 7 June 1961.' Spec block: dp. 1,781; l. 328'; b. 50'; dr. 11'2"; s. 12 k.; cpl. 286; a. 8 x 40mm; cl. Aristaeus.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1961
- Population
- CB&I Seneca construction trades (1944-45); ferry crew (Jan-Feb 1945); Maryland Dry Dock conversion trades (Feb-Jun 1945); commissioned crew (1945-46); Far East repair-service complement
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS says 'sold on 7 June 1961' and does not name the recipient - the German Navy transfer and Wotan rename come from NavSource and ShipScribe (see ev-02, ev-03). DANFS does not name the conversion yard (Maryland Dry Dock Co. comes from NavSource and ShipScribe). Live NHHC page 404 on 2026-10-02 (standing NHHC link-rot defect); canonical-page text verified via Wayback capture dated 2024-05-26. The losthistory mirror transcription misprints beam as '60'' where the NHHC text reads 'b. 50'' - NHHC value carried (see ev-08).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-diomedes-lst1119-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Diomedes (ARB-11) ex USS LST-1119 (page 09/26/2611) - designation timeline, unit/campaign data, medal periods, ARB specifications block, commanding-officer list, and photo captions incl. NARA BuShips photo 19-N-85764 and German-service photos as AR Wotan (A513) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/26/2611.htm - header timeline, medal table, specifications block, photo captions incl. 19-N-85764, commanding-officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource documents for this hull: 'Aristaeus Class Battle Damage Repair Ship'; international radio call sign NJMP; laid down 19 October 1944 at Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., Seneca, IL; launched 11 January 1945; commissioned USS LST-1119 on 23 January 1945, LCDR Charles M. Redding, USNR, in command; decommissioned 21 February 1945 at Maryland Dry Dock Co., Baltimore, MD, for conversion to a battle damage repair ship; recommissioned USS Diomedes (ARB-11) 23 June 1945, LCDR Samuel H. P. Read, Jr., USNR; assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater; Navy Occupation Service Medal period 24 September - 3 October 1945 and China Service Medal (extended) period 4 October 1945 - 21 March 1946; decommissioned 3 December 1946 at Jacksonville, FL, laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet; transferred in June 1961 to Germany, renamed AR Wotan (A513); 'Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown'; final disposition 'fate unknown.' Specifications: 1,781 t light / 3,960 t full; 328' oa; 50' beam; 11'2" draft; 11.6 kts; complement 15 officers / 271 enlisted; largest boom capacity 50 t; armament two quad 40mm AA mounts and eight single 20mm AA mounts; generators four 100 kW 120/240 V DC and two 100 kW 450 V AC; diesel fuel capacity 4,480 bbls; propulsion two General Motors 12-567A diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, two propellers, 1,800 shp. Photo captions: under way near Baltimore 24 June 1945 after completion of conversion (US National Archives photo 19-N-85764, US Navy Bureau of Ships photo); at anchor in Hong Kong Harbor 1 December 1945; Repair Department machine, electrical, and carpenter shops; two German-service photos of AR Wotan (A513) incl. a Federal German Navy photo c.1970. Commanding officers: LCDR C. M. Redding USNR (23 Jan - 21 Feb 1945 ferry); LCDR S. H. P. Read Jr. USNR (23 Jun 1945 - 4 Jan 1946); LCDR J. C. Beck Jr. USNR (4 Jan - Aug 1946); LT J. H. Roper USN (Aug - 3 Dec 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1991 (page last updated 20 Jan 2017)
- Population
- Ferry crew (Jan-Feb 1945); ship's company ~286 per ARB spec block; conversion workforce at Maryland Dry Dock (Feb-Jun 1945)
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archival page tracking NVR/DANFS and quoting Navy photos; consistent with DANFS where they overlap and adds the conversion-yard name, medal-eligibility windows, CO list, and the German rename detail DANFS omits. 'Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown' conflicts with ShipScribe's register-derived 1 January 1961 strike - ShipScribe date carried (see ev-03, ev-08). Spec block describes the ARB configuration; no asbestos content stated or implied.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-diomedes-lst1119-02
-
[4]ShipScribe (S. S. Roberts), 'USS Aristaeus (ARB-1) Class' - construction and disposition tables, class notes on the LST-to-ARB conversion program, and per-ship notes incl. ARB-11 Diomedes (compiled from BuShips and OpNav records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ShipScribe ARB01.html - class header, construction table row ARB-11, disposition table row ARB-11, class notes, ship note ARB-11
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- ShipScribe documents this hull within the twelve-ship Aristaeus (ARB-1) class: all units built under LST contracts and reclassified and fitted as ARBs before entering service; ARB-11 reclassified 14 August 1944; keel 19 October 1944 at Chicago Bridge, Seneca; launched 11 January 1945; commissioned 23 June 1945; decommissioned 3 December 1946; struck 1 January 1961; disposal June 1961, fate 'Trf.' (transferred). Ship note for ARB-11: 'Ex LST-1119 14 Aug 44. Ferry commission as LST-1119 23 Jan-21 Feb 45. Converted by Maryland DD, Baltimore, Md. In USN reserve 1946-61. Trf. to West Germany as WOTAN. Stk. by Germany 23 Aug 91.' Class notes: Auxiliary Vessels Board program history - ARB 7-9 authorized under the June 1943 review, ARB 10-12 added 2 May 1944 for delivery in Q2 1945; all ARB-1-class units converted by Maryland DD, Baltimore, except ARB-3 (Tampa SB); inland-built hulls transited as LSTs via New Orleans with a three-day shakedown at St. Andrews Bay, Fla., before delivery to Baltimore; Gibbs and Cox was design agent for all three LST conversion designs (ARB, ARL, AGP); ARB-vs-LST differences were heavier armament, greater cargo-handling deck facilities, a much longer superstructure deck, and the tank deck covered with lathes, grinders, drills, metal cutters, welding machines and other shop equipment, with a larger crew including specialized repair ratings; bow doors welded shut and bow ramp/door gear omitted; two 10-ton derricks and a 50-ton 'A' frame fitted; the last six units (ARB 7-12, incl. Diomedes) omitted the 3"/50 gun and carried the 40mm quad on a raised stern platform.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1991
- Population
- CB&I Seneca construction trades (1944-45); Maryland Dry Dock conversion workforce (Feb-Jun 1945); USN crew (1945-46); Atlantic Reserve Fleet caretakers (1946-61); German Navy crew and workshop personnel (1961-91)
- Limitations
- Strongest single record for this hull - scholarly secondary compilation drawn from BuShips/OpNav official registers, not itself a primary registry page. Documents the conversion program and yard (Maryland Dry Dock, Baltimore) and the German transfer/strike, but says nothing about asbestos content of materials installed or removed. Its 1 January 1961 strike date conflicts with NavSource's 'date unknown' - carried here as the register-derived value; DANFS's 'sold 7 June 1961' describes the same transfer event under a sale/transfer framing. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-diomedes-lst1119-03
-
[5]Era inference built on: NavSource ARB-11 specifications block (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, Falk reduction gear - all-diesel plant); ShipScribe class design notes (LST hull reconfigured as workshop ship, tank deck fitted with machine tools and repair equipment); LST-542-series design data per class profile (BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 2 LST design table - shipscribe SDB1945v2.pdf URL now 404, noted as access gap); GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-05) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource ARB-11 spec block; ShipScribe ARB-1 class notes; class profile lst-1-class (BuShips SDB-1945 v2 design grouping); GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered LST-542-series hull built October 1944 - January 1945 at Chicago Bridge & Iron's Seneca yard and converted February - June 1945 at Maryland Dry Dock, Baltimore, into a battle damage repair ship sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Era-standard applications aboard a diesel LST-derived auxiliary of this period were engine-room and diesel-exhaust lagging, thermal insulation, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation and cable, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead/accommodation insulation, and brake/friction linings on winches, derricks, and the conversion's added workshop machinery. The conversion itself - which fitted the tank deck with lathes, grinders, drills, metal cutters, and welding machines and extended the superstructure - is a documented class-level interior-rework pathway at a peak-asbestos-era yard. She carried no steam plant, so the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1991
- Population
- CB&I Seneca construction trades (1944-45); Maryland Dry Dock conversion trades (Feb-Jun 1945); USN crew incl. repair-department ratings (1945-46); reserve-fleet caretakers (1946-61); German Navy crew/workshop personnel (1961-91)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, conversion work package, or fiber content located for LST-1119/Diomedes. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity. The conversion's material scope is undocumented, and the hull's 1961-1991 German Navy service (including a multi-year post-transfer rebuild) is a material-history blind spot - original-era materials may have been removed or supplemented under German practice. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-diomedes-lst1119-04
-
[6]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - spanning this hull's entire U.S.-era: construction (1944-45), ARB conversion (1945), active service (1945-46), and reserve lay-up (1946-61).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. The hull left U.S. custody in June 1961, a decade before the substitution era GAO describes - GAO policy history does not bear on her German-service material state (1961-91). Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-10-02) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-diomedes-lst1119-05
-
[7]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Am J Ind Med 11(3):359-373 (1987), DOI 10.1002/ajim.4700110311
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed scholarship documents that WWII-era U.S. shipyards extensively installed asbestos-containing insulation, lagging, and gaskets in naval construction - the era and program context in which this hull was built (Oct 1944 - Jan 1945, Chicago Bridge & Iron, Seneca) and converted (Feb - Jun 1945, Maryland Dry Dock, Baltimore).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1941-1945 (study scope)
- Population
- WWII-era shipyard workers and crews (era context)
- Limitations
- Era-level scholarship only; the source does not name this hull or class and does not establish that any specific material aboard this ship contained asbestos. The all-diesel plant (no boilers) narrows the exposure-relevant scope relative to steam vessels; German-service materials (1961-91) are outside the study's WWII scope.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-diomedes-lst1119-06
-
[8]Batch-6608 search ledger (this record): DANFS (NHHC canonical via Wayback + losthistory transcription); NavSource 09/26/2611; ShipScribe ARB-1 class page; CourtListener API v4 (partial - pacing-blocked); GAO product page; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-diomedes-lst1119-01 through -14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, insulation material list, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS Diomedes, LST-1119, ARB-11, or Wotan (A513) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion searches returned ZERO results for '"USS Diomedes"', '"Diomedes" asbestos', '"LST-1119"', and '"LST 1119"' (type=o); '"ARB-11"' returned hits observed to be name collisions (e.g., appellate-procedure rule references - no vessel or asbestos match); additional queries ('"Wotan"' asbestos and all docket type=r searches) were blocked by the shared fleet pacing budget - logged honestly in search_ledger, not claimed as negative results. Secondary web sweeps surfaced only law-firm marketing content (duboselawfirm.com lists 'ARB-11 Diomedes' in a generic battle-damage-repair-ship asbestos page without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard; and the litigation repository search is partially open (several queries blocked by fleet pacing at research time). Deck logs (RG 24), the Maryland Dry Dock conversion work package, and German Bundesarchiv records for Wotan A513 are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-diomedes-lst1119-07
-
[9]Designation cross-check: ShipScribe ARB-11 ship note ('Trf. to West Germany as WOTAN. Stk. by Germany 23 Aug 91') + NavSource header and photo captions ('renamed AR Wotan (A513)'; 'Ex-USS Diomedes (ARB-11) ... in German service as AR Wotan (A513)') vs NavalCoverMuseum DIOMEDES page ('FGS ODIN A-512 ... Struck by Germany December 20 1991') and the shipbuildinghistory.com/navalmarinearchive ARB table (Ulysses ARB-9 'to Germany 1960 as Wotan (A 513)'); Wikipedia USS Diomedes infobox builder 'Bethlehem Steel Company, Hingham, Massachusetts' vs DANFS/NavSource/ShipScribe 'Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., Seneca' [other_primary]
- Locator
- ShipScribe ARB01.html ship notes ARB-9 and ARB-11 + disposition table; NavSource 09/26/2611 header and Wotan photo captions; navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/DIOMEDES_ARB_11 designation history; shipbuildinghistory.com/navalships/ar.htm ARB rows; en.wikipedia.org USS Diomedes (ARB-11) infobox; NHHC canonical DANFS spec block via Wayback
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTIONS: (1) German identity - NavalCoverMuseum's DIOMEDES page carries 'FGS ODIN A-512' with a German strike date of 20 December 1991; that is the German identity of sister ship USS Ulysses (ARB-9, ex LST-967 - ShipScribe ARB-9 note 'Trf. to West Germany as ODIN. Stk. by Germany 20 Dec 91'). This hull's German identity is WOTAN (A513) per ShipScribe ('Trf. to West Germany as WOTAN. Stk. by Germany 23 Aug 91') and NavSource photo captions; shipbuildinghistory.com/navalmarinearchive swap the pairing (assigning Wotan to Ulysses), the same error. (2) Builder - Wikipedia's USS Diomedes infobox says 'Bethlehem Steel Company, Hingham, Massachusetts'; DANFS, NavSource, and ShipScribe all document Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., Seneca, Illinois. Bethlehem-Hingham built the ARB-7/8/9 hulls (Sarpedon, Telamon, Ulysses), not ARB-11. (3) Beam - the losthistory DANFS transcription reads 'Beam 60''; the canonical NHHC text and NavSource spec block read 50' (standard LST-542 beam). (4) Strike date - NavSource 'date unknown' vs ShipScribe register-derived 1 January 1961 (disposal table); 1 Jan 1961 carried.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1991 (designation window)
- Limitations
- Corrects circulating identity/builder errors, not material claims. ShipScribe's official-register-derived data plus NavSource photo evidence both support WOTAN (A513) for this hull and ODIN (A512) for Ulysses - NavalCoverMuseum and shipbuildinghistory carry swapped pairings. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-diomedes-lst1119-08
-
[10]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) and RG 24 (deck logs); NARA still photo 19-N-85764; Maryland Center for History and Culture Maryland Drydock Company collection (1945-1965); Bundesarchiv-Militararchiv for Wotan (A513) - record-group mapping only [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records groups 019, 024; NavSource caption citation 'US National Archives photo # 19-N-85764'; mdhistory.libraryhost.com Maryland Drydock Company collection (1945-1965); Bundesarchiv-Militararchiv Freiburg
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order): NARA RG 19 BuShips conversion-design records for the Gibbs & Cox LST-to-ARB conversion plans used by Maryland Dry Dock (the design-agent relationship is documented in the ShipScribe class notes, but no hull-level work package was located); NARA RG 24 deck logs for LST-1119 / Diomedes (1945-46, not publicly digitized); NARA still-picture holdings incl. BuShips photo 19-N-85764 (Baltimore, 24 June 1945, post-conversion); Maryland Center for History and Culture's Maryland Drydock Company archival collection (coverage dates 1945-1965 - squarely the conversion window); Bundesarchiv-Militararchiv records for Wotan (A513) German service and 1991 disposal.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1991 records
- Limitations
- Record-group and repository mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-diomedes-lst1119-09